A computer system comprising at least two processing sets. Each processing set
includes main memory. A bridge connects the processing sets. At least a first processing
set further including a dirty memory having dirty indicators for indicating dirtied
blocks of the main memory of the first processing set. The bridge includes a direct
memory access controller that is operable to copy blocks of the first processing
set indicated in the dirty memory to the main memory of another processing set.
The processors do not, therefore, need to carry out the copying, whereby the processor
overhead associated therewith can be avoided, increasing the efficiency of memory
reintegration. The direct memory access controller can be arranged to search the
dirty memory for dirty indicators indicative of dirtied blocks. Alternatively,
the dirty memory can include control logic operable to search the dirty memory
for dirty indicators indicative of dirtied blocks. The direct memory access controller
can be arranged to instigate a search of the dirty memory.